‘Fake chat’ posted on X: Bengal, Noida cops trade charges over accused ‘escape’

Kolkata/Noida: Bengal police alleged on Wednesday a man they had detained in Noida for posting allegedly fake chats attributed to TMC MP Mahua Moitra on social media escaped due to political interference at a local police station. Noida cops denied the charge, saying the accused — who runs a news portal — was not found at his house in Lotus Panache when a joint Bengal and UP police team went there on Tuesday night, so the question of him escaping detention did not arise.The Krishnanagar police team said it was following up on a Feb 6 FIR in which Moitra had accused multiple social media users of posting malicious chats featuring her and political strategist Prashant Kishor. On Feb 7, it asked microblogging platform X to take down the posts and issued notices to some of the accused, among them the Noida-based news portal owner. A four-member team from Krishnanagar Kotwali landed up in Noida with an arrest warrant from a CJM's court in Nadia after he failed to respond to the notice.
In a statement on X, Bengal Police said, "Our team, with full cooperation of UP Police, executed the warrant and detained the accused on Feb 10. Thereafter, following external communications by certain political functionaries, the team was taken to the local police station and lawful proceedings were interrupted, enabling the accused to abscond. Efforts to apprehend him continue.""Preliminary digital forensic examination by the cyber cell conclusively established that the circulated ‘chat screenshots' are forged and fabricated. Evidence indicates a larger conspiracy behind their creation and dissemination," it added. Kotwali OC Amalendu Biswas alleged the accused had name-dropped several politicians while in detention.DCP (central Noida) Shakti Mohan Avasthy termed allegations of obstruction as baseless. Police sources told TOI: "Local police personnel, including the in-charge of Sector 110 police outpost, were deputed to assist Bengal cops. At the house of the accused, his wife opened the door. CCTV footage from cameras installed in the society premises can confirm that he was never taken into custody. The accused was not home. Bengal police personnel searched the place," a police source said and added that the team could not trace the whereabouts of the accused. A Noida police officer involved in the search told TOI the Krishnanagar police team had called the accused's number, but his phone was switched off.BJP IT cell chief and Bengal minder Amit Malviya accused Bengal cops of overreach. "Bengal Police, fully aware that the person resides outside their jurisdiction, issued a notice demanding appearance within 24 hours, without providing even basic time to make travel arrangements. This was swiftly followed by a hurried move to obtain a warrant, demonstrating a ‘lightning speed' conspicuously absent in far graver crimes," Malviya posted on X. He asked, "Why is the state police machinery being weaponised against those who merely amplify what is already circulating in the public domain? Why target individuals who are, in effect, only sharing what others are discussing?"Moitra, meanwhile, posted: "Even forensic lab reports show the chat was forged and fake. Not just defamation but criminal acts of forgery and circulating fake content. All will face the full extent of the law."